Et tu, instant noodles? Korean consumers feel the pinch as even budget food prices soar.
Published: 08 Jun. 2025, 17:47
Updated: 08 Jun. 2025, 20:01
![Ramen is displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul on June 8. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/08/b63aa0ab-edcb-4f30-9732-047a8b7d3162.jpg)
Ramen is displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul on June 8. [YONHAP]
Kim Ji-su recently went to a convenience store to buy cup noodles for a late-night snack and was shocked to find that a large-size Jin Jjambbong now costs 2,000 won ($1.48).
“I usually pair cup noodles with a beer, but buying just two costs nearly 5,000 won,” Kim said. “It feels like prices go up every time I shop. At this rate, there may come a day when I can’t even afford gimbap or instant noodles.”
Kim is not alone in their frustration. Food prices are rising so quickly that even cracking an egg into a bowl of noodles feels like a luxury for some.
Eggs, often a staple side dish in Korean households, are projected to remain expensive in the coming months, raising new concerns about overall grocery inflation.
![Shoppers select eggs at a large supermarket in Seoul on June 8. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/08/29c45cc2-3f41-4d1f-ba36-169ed1cdbf09.jpg)
Shoppers select eggs at a large supermarket in Seoul on June 8. [NEWS1]
Consumer price growth slowed to the 1 percent range in May for the first time in five months, according to Statistics Korea on Sunday.
But prices for food items remain volatile. Pork and eggs led the surge in livestock product prices, which climbed more than 6 percent year on year — marking the steepest jump in nearly three years.
Prices rose 8.4 percent for pork, 5.3 percent for domestic beef, 5.4 percent for imported beef and 3.8 percent for eggs.
Processed foods are becoming noticeably more expensive. In May, the price of processed foods rose 4.1 percent compared to the previous month, more than triple the 1.3 percent increase recorded in November 2024.
Of the 74 processed food categories tracked, prices for 53 items — or 72 percent — have risen compared to November last year. Nineteen of those have increased by more than 5 percent.
Chocolate prices are up 10.4 percent over six months, coffee prices have risen 8.2 percent and sauce, vinegar and salted seafood prices are up over 7 percent each. Ice cream, probiotics and frozen foods have increased in price by more than 5 percent. Ramyeon prices have increased by 4.7 percent.
![Cocoa-related snacks are displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul on May 16. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/06/08/f1ebfe24-5f35-4aa1-ae9b-932aae990f48.jpg)
Cocoa-related snacks are displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul on May 16. [YONHAP]
Despite being considered a budget-friendly meal, instant noodles are now approaching the 2,000-won mark due to successive price hikes by major manufacturers.
In March, Nongshim became the first company in the ramyeon industry to raise prices, increasing prices for 17 types of ramyeon and snacks by an average of 7.2 percent. Over 10 of its ramyeon products now cost nearly 2,000 won.
Ottogi followed suit, raising prices for 16 of its 27 ramyeon varieties by an average of 7.5 percent in March. Products such as the large-size Jin Jjambbong, Yeol Tempura Udon, Yeol Cheese Ramyeon, Yeol Spicy Rabokki, Jjashullang and Mashullang Malatang now retail for 2,000 won.
Many food companies, including Dongseo Food, Lotte Wellfood, Ottogi, Binggrae and Nongshim, have raised prices more than once in the past year. Even the iconic chocolate snack Pepero rose from 1,800 won to 2,000 won in February.
The timing of these increases coincides with political uncertainty earlier this year.
Analysts suggest that food companies, which had previously held off on raising prices to align with government price stabilization efforts, acted decisively during the power vacuum following the presidential impeachment, which the Constitutional Court upheld on April 4.
“We had refrained from raising prices to consider household finances, but rising raw material costs and the exchange rate left us no choice,” a food industry source said.
The Korea Consumer Agency's Price Monitoring Center called the simultaneous price hikes “highly unusual.”
"In the past, companies have raised prices due to spikes in global grain prices or currency fluctuations,” the center said. “But this time, prices are rising even though those cost pressures have somewhat eased.”
Egg prices are also rising, compounding household concerns. In May, the average retail price of a tray of 30 large eggs reached 7,026 won — the first time in four years it has exceeded 7,000 won.
The Korea Rural Economic Institute forecast that prices will continue to rise through August.
In its June report, the institute projected that farm-gate prices for 10 large eggs will range from 1,850 to 1,950 won from June to August, up 12.4 to 18.5 percent from a year earlier.
“Egg production is declining due to aging laying hens and outbreaks of low-pathogenic avian influenza, infectious bronchitis and poultry typhoid,” the institute said.
As food inflation intensifies, the government is treating it as a top economic priority. Government agencies are focusing their inflation-control efforts on processed foods and dining-out prices.
President Lee Jae-myung visited a traditional market on Friday to observe firsthand how households are feeling the pinch. The visit signaled to the market that the administration is stepping up its price management efforts.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY KIM YEON-JOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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